United We Stand
by Yami Ferret
Summary: Seto has nothing left. Aged 9, he's now heading towards a social abyss. What shall happen? PG-Parental Guidance required for those affected or scared by social issues involved.
1. And So It Begins

Chapter 1

And So It Begins

Seto's faint reflection stared back at him soullessly in the dirty window of Mr Hargreaves black Beatle.

"I…I'm so sorry, children." said the official at the head of the car. "Your mother was a wonderful one to you, you know."

"I know perfectly well." snapped Seto.

"Now, now, let's not get snappy, you have each other now, and, despite the circumstances, you will lead very happy adult lives!"

Seto remembered his mother well. The family was happy. Him, Mokuba, his brother, Mum and Dad, the loving couple. Or, so it seemed at the time. Mum was having an affair with a man at work. He was strange. They did not know his name, appearance, anything. It all started when they were happiest. Seto was 7 and his brother, 2. Mum had revealed the truth about her affair with this man and ordered a divorce. Dad was broken. His lights were shattered, unfixable, destroyed. He had taken them in for 2 years and escaped to a peaceful isolated cottage. There, he wept every night for 2 years, endlessly. Seto was torn between comforting his dad, or Mokuba, who was only 2. He decided to ignore everything, assuming it would go by the next night, but it never did. It seemed nothing would happen as a result, but it did.

Seto was in class, the teacher droning on about civil wars, when all Seto did was stare into the depressed sky, drained of all jollity. He broke from his daydream when the phone on the teacher's desk rang. The teacher picked it up quickly, keen to get on with the lesson.

"Hello, Mrs Haywood speaking. Yes. Yes there is a Seto in our class." Seto looked up spontaneously. "Yes. Oh. I see. Yes, yes, I'll send him straight away……thank you…" Mrs Haywood put the phone down at snail's pace compared to picking it up initially. "Seto, you must wait outside the school gates. There, a man called Alistair will pick you up." Seto knew Alistair well. His name was Alistair Hargreaves, the same man now driving Seto in his Beatle towards who-knows-what.

At the time, Seto was driven to the local mall, where an ambulance was established in the midday rain. Seto could see a trailer, carrying a body, exit. Mokuba was standing opposite Seto, also watching the trailer with his very young eyes. Mokuba noticed Seto, and hurried to him, and started crying.

"Seto…..daddy gone, DADDY GONE!" he wailed.

Seto did not take notice. He simply stared at the trailer with his own eyes. There was his former father, now dead. He wasn't coming back.

By the next 5 minutes, the Beatle stopped outside a grey concrete building with pictures of the sun beaming happily slapped onto the concealed windows. The pictures portrayed happiness, yet Seto knew only too well that inside was a mediocre cloud of depression hanging over the sullen heads of the orphans within. Mr Hargreaves led the children out of the car and onto the path leading to the door.

"Welcome to Wicker House, your new home."


	2. What Home Feels Like

Chapter 2

What Home Feels Like

Upon entering Wicker House, Seto saw the opposite of the bright paintings on the windows outside. The orphans either walked aimlessly, ran with hatred for one another, or moped around with their heads hung, hair falling like a mop. These kids were clearly catered for cheaply, and Seto wondered if he would ever survive.

A lady approached Mr Hargreaves. She was an old lady, pierced with earrings and necklaces. She wore a plain dress with a few lifeless flowers. She was as unnerving as the building itself.

"May I help you?" she croaked.

"Err, yes, yes indeed. Err, name of Hargreaves, these children will be staying with you, of course, they aren't my own!" Mr Hargreves tried to add a trace of warmth to the otherwise grey setting, but failed miserably.

"I shall take them in. Good day sir."

"Very well. Good luck children! Have a good time in your new home! Tara!" The woman hurried them away from the official as if she didn't want him to see her do something cruel to the children, like turn them into depressed beasts like the others. She took them into a large room, carpeted in light grey and white walls.

"You shall stay here. I shall call you into bed soon." And with that, she walked away to deal with another orphan.

"Seto," said Mokuba, "Is this home?"

"I…I don't know, Mokuba."

"When will we get home?"

"……….never….."

The brothers walked aimlessly around the room, like the other unloved children at the entrance. A little girl approached Seto and tugged at his sleeve.

"Excuse me sir," The girl's large, round eyes stared up at Seto, "I need to ask a question."

"What?"

As the girl was about to ask, a young man with a matching pair of navy green jeans and shirt bearing the Wicker House logo approached Seto and Mokuba.

"You guys are lucky!" he said in an Australian accent, "Alistair left you a gift. It was left with yer dad, until he went kaput!" The man gave them both a keyring of a Duel Monster card. The brothers loved that game. Though these were curious, they could open up! Inside were photographs. Inside Seto's, there was a photograph of Mokuba. Inside Mokuba's, there was a photograph of Seto.

"Seto," whispered Mokuba, "It's you…"

"Yes, Mokuba, we'll always be with each other, always, forever." The brothers embraced, and the man left.

"Sir?" questioned the girl, who was still standing there.

"Oh, yes, what were you saying?" replied Seto.

"What does……what does home feel like?"

Seto ran his finger along the side of the photo, and then looked at Mokuba. "This," he said, "This is what home feels like!"


	3. It Is Happening And Now

Chapter 3

It Is Happening And Now

Seto and Mokuba lingered around the strange, plain room, realising that they had each other now, loving brothers, like a combo of cards in a Duel Monsters match, they were meant to be together, placed on earth to be with each other.

"Seto, I don't want to leave you ever!" declarded Mokuba, wrapping his arms widely around his brother and snuggled his face into Seto's shirt.

"Mokuba, you won't have to leave me." replied Seto. They seemed the only slightly optimistic children in the area. Children weren't telling each other how good they were, they were pushing them out the way as they hung their gloomy heads at the floor and the people pushed didn't seem to care. They weren't hugging each other, instead they were sobbing on each others shoulders, or just avoiding everything and everyone.

Suddenly, the old woman who had hurried them from Mr Hargreaves croaked once again over a microphone attached to some sort of portable cigarette lighter.

"Day is up, children, proceed to the dormitories. Seto and Mokuba….hmph, no last name, anyway, Seto and Mokuba may establish in dormitory 417. Good night, children." She left, still carrying the cigarette lighter and microphone, and marched up to the desk to collect some papers. All of the children groaned deeply like a creaking staircase and left the room unenthusiastically and slowly.

Seto dragged Mokuba into the depressed crowd and tried to find some sort of pattern in the door numbers, to help them find 417. But, in vain, there was no sequence. They just had there room numbers dotted around everywhere. The numbers must have changed with the times. Seto approached a boy who was still walking to find his own room.

"Excuse me,…" Seto began, when,

"Don't…TALK TO ME!" the boy whimpered. He then ran down the hall, wailing. Seto then realised what was happening. He knew of the situation he and his brother was in, he knew almost every detail. The details about mum and the man, dad, the supermarket, the facts were in his head, he couldn't concentrate, his brain was pounding.

"Seto." said Mokuba. Seto looked round, Mokuba was pointing at a door, a door with a white slab on it, a slab which read:

417.

"Mokuba, I've figured everything out!" exclaimed Seto. He was comfortably in the top bunk of the bed, Mokuba would use the bottom. Mokuba was still trying to fit on his little pyjama pants.

"Figured what, Seto?"

"Why we're here!"

"Why?"

"Mom was seeing that man at work, so split with dad to marry him!"

"But mommy loved daddy!"

"Until that guy came along. Then, dad got ill.."

"…and he cried. It made me cry too.." A tear came to Mokuba's eye.

"So at the mall, he collapsed, and we got sent here. Nobody knows about mom, so they think we have no parents, so they think we're…." he stopped open-mothed.

"Orphans." finished Mokuba. "Orphans. Seto, it's really happening. They said it wouldn't, but it did and that makes them liars and that means they're bad but I still love them because they are my parents and I love my parents….." Mokuba's tear slid down his pale face and dropped lifelessly onto the blanket.

"It is happening.." quivered Seto, "It is happening and now. We are orphans."


	4. Separation

Chapter 4

Separation

It had settled. It was final. They were orphans. Mokuba, however, was trying to deny the fact.

"No, mummy's still alive, mummy will come for us!" he protested.

"As far as she's concerned, dad's still alive. As far as the government's concerned, both of them are dead."

"But mummy's still alive!"

"But they don't know that do they?"

"But…" Mokuba had run out of excuses.

The orphans were silent for a few moments until Mokuba broke the stillness.

"Let's think about something we like because mummy said if you think about something you like, you have nice dreams!"

"But what is there to think about?" Seto enquired.

Mokuba hummed as his line of thought went through a selection of his favourite things. Ice-cream, Duel Monsters, his Fire Kraken plushie, hotdogs, then, something he really liked came to his mind. Something really important. "Daddy."

The orphans dreamt of life if dad hadn't died. Mokuba dreamt of their smiling father, taking them to the play park after school, helping them with their homework and tucking them in at night. Seto however, saw their dad for the broken man he was. He dreamt of the man who always had something else on his mind, the man who was always missing something, the man who cried every night. The man who was their father.

Seto was cringing and wriggling for ages, the thoughts of his deceased dad made his head swirl. As soon as he was about to cry out, the door swung open and slammed into the wall. The brothers jumped like a lion pouncing on unsuspecting prey. Their heads swung round vigorously only to see the old woman who seemed to run Wicker House standing at the doorway. She burst straight into the topic she intended to carry.

"Change of plans Mokuba, you're coming with me." she muttered.

Mokuba reluctantly stepped out of the bottom bunk. "What's happening?" he enquired.

"You're getting a new room."

Seto's eyes widened and he started sweating constantly. "WHAT?"

"But I don't want a new room." said Mokuba, unworried.

"You have no choice, come on." The woman grabbed Mokuba by the wrist and wrenched him out of the room.

"OW! My arm!" Mokuba wailed.

"You can't take Mokuba! He's my brother! We're meant to be together!" Seto argued.

The woman stopped in her tracks, turned round and marched back to Seto, all the while shaking Mokuba about the room dangerously. "Do you think you'll be sharing a room with your brother when you're adult?" She spat as she talked. "You had better start growing up, boy, or you'll never survive out there." She turned around again, twisting Mokuba around the room. She marched out harshly, dragging Mokuba behind.

"MOKUBA!"

"SETO!"

Seto jumped out of bed and ran to the door. "**MOKUBA!**"

"**SETO!**"

Seto wanted to run up, wrench Mokuba back and run away to somewhere, anywhere, but he felt powerless.

"QUIET CHILD!" screamed the old woman. "You aren't the only people here you know!"

Seto thought different. His brother, his younger brother, his only sibling was being torn from him. He did feel like the only person there. He felt like the only person in the world. Nobody was there to comfort him, to soothe him, to help him defeat the evil that was destroying his family. As his only trace of family was being torn from him, he felt like the only person in the world. He was alone, and there was nobody to help.


	5. Wits End

Chapter 5

Wits End

Seto crashed where he stood. He couldn't comprehend the situation. Mokuba, his last source of inner peace, had been torn from him like Velcro. His hit his head against the doorframe and wept. His body stung all over. His thoughts were blurred.

_Why me? What have I done to deserve this…..what have I done? Why have I been torn apart, why have I been socially destroyed, why am I an orphan? What have I done to deserve this? It…it's all that woman's fault. She's the one who hurried me into this hellhole, she's the one who made our miserable lives worse, she's the one, WHO TORE MY BROTHER FROM ME! I WILL AVENGE MY LOSS, **I WILL KILL HER, SHE SHALL REGRET THE DAY SHE WAS BORN! I WILL KILL HER! **__**SHE WILL DIE! **_Seto cried out in mental pain and slammed his fist against the door. It swung back violently and crashed against the wall. It came back at twice the speed when it was hit and before Seto could move, it collided with his forehead so hard, he tumbled backwards into the middle of the dark, glum corridor. Seto leant onto his side. He felt sick. Suddenly, he saw red dripping down his eyes. He was bleeding. He was going to….die? No, he couldn't leave Mokuba. Not alone. But he didn't have a choice. He was going to a better place now. His mind went blank.

Mokuba was wailing as the woman dragged him across, the rough, stinging carpet.

"Seto, SETO!"

"Boo hoo, I didn't have any siblings, how do you think I feel?" snapped the woman. She spat as she shouted.

"That……that's because…" Mokuba spluttered.

"Because what?"

Mokuba could bear it no longer, it was unfairly cruel. He hated the woman so much, he wanted to scream. In fact, that's exactly what he would do.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A WITCH!" cried Mokuba. He struggled free from the woman's clutches and tried to hit her, but she just held out her hand and caved in on him.

"I hate you as much as you hate me, boy, so shut up, you disrespectful maggot." she whispered. She continued to violently drag Mokuba across the corridor into a room like the rest of them, except this room was called '538'. The woman shoved Mokuba in.

"Remember, 538." she spat, and locked the door.

Mokuba looked around. It was the exact same as Seto's room, except nobody had cleaned it out for a while. There were traces of dust everywhere. Mokuba collapsed onto the bed and wept. His weeps turned into crying. His crying turned into wailing and that turn into realisation that he might not see his brother again. It was horrible. Nothing could match up to losing Seto. His brother was out there, alone, as he was. He dared not think of what might happen if they were torn apart forever. It would be awful, unthinkable. He would have nobody to care for him or love him. Mum still thought dad was alive and everybody else thought they were all dead. Maybe they were. Maybe they were all dead, even Seto. Maybe he was the only person in the world, maybe he was the only person there. His father was dead, mum was in love with somebody else, Seto had been taken from him and he had no last name. No last name? Mokuba had asked his mum once about last names and she said that a last name was like an identity of who you belonged to. Mokuba didn't have a last name. Did that mean he didn't belong? Did that mean he wasn't wanted? He couldn't bear thinking about it. He snorted from the crying and decided everything was a dream. Everything would be all right once he woke up. Everything.


	6. Nemesis

Chapter 6

Nemesis

Mokuba woke slowly. He realised everything had been a very long dream. All the bad events. He was back in his room, coloured strong with pictures he had drawn over the years, blotted in strong crayon. He examined his favourite Duel Monster plushies, all in line, screaming "Hug me!", and literally. Mokuba looked oddly at his toys, and decided to walk downstairs. He entered the homely kitchen, where Seto sat, eating some cereal. Or, at least, that's what the box said. This was strange, Mokuba had never heard of a cereal called 'Cereal'. Anyways, he tried it. It tasted of Shreddies, very nice! He continued eating. His Mum and Dad entered the room hand in hand. Mokuba smiled at them.

"Hello Mummy! Hello Daddy!"

"Hello, Mokuba." the parents said simultaneously. "Mokuba, go to school now."

Mokuba had no idea what they were talking about, but decided to play along. As soon as he got outside, he realised, the bad events were reality, and this was a dream! He ran for the door, but his parents blocked the way.

"Wouldn't you like to see my new husband?" enquired Mum. A shadow appeared beside her, and Dad melted. Suddenly, all the bright walls turned grey, and the shadow disappeared with Mum. The roof was gone, the walls were gone, but the door still stood. It then collapsed as the woman at the house approached Mokuba. Seto was on the floor, weeping, as high-pitched, siren-like voices screeched out as the woman got nearer.

"_Nobody loves you, nobody loves you, nobody loves you._"

The woman reached her hand at Mokuba, who was rooted to the spot with fear, and literally. Mokuba's feet had turned into tree roots, and he couldn't move. The thunder struck behind the witch-woman as she prepared to kill Mokuba with her bare hands.

Mokuba woke again, but now in reality. He was in agony all over from his horrendous nightmare. He leapt out of bed, ran out of the room and sprinted down the corridor to 417. He opened the door and searched desperately for Seto, but there was no sign of him.

"Seto, SETO?"

He doubled checked, but found nothing. He started crying.

"**_SETOOOOOO!_**"

Seto's eyes revealed themselves to the world as if they were being dragged across a large sheet of corrugated cardboard. He squinted to adjust to the light beaming in through the open windows. He sat up eventually and looked around. He was in some sort of ward. This was good news. He could go to the doctors, tell them the whole story and have himself and Mokuba sent to live with Mum and the woman would be arrested. He then gazed into the distance and found the Wicker House logo on the far wall, glaring at him evilly. Seto had obviously been treated by the House's doctors, so Seto's story would have no impact on them. Suddenly, the woman entered the room, still as spiteful as ever. She marched up to Seto and looked down on him, acting superior.

"Seto, you are free to go to the Main Hall. Everybody else is waiting."

Seto widened his eyes. Everbody else? That must mean Mokuba! Seto leapt out of bed and sped out into the Main Hall. He searched around, frantically, shaking his head violently. Then, he caught a glimpse of a black haired, scruffy boy, his head bent forward.

"Mokuba?"

The boy looked up. "Seto?"

"Mokuba!"

"Seto"

The two brothers ran up to each other and embraced tightly.

"S-Seto," stammered Mokuba, "I-I had a d-dream, a-a nightmare about th-the witch!"

Seto knew exactly who Mokuba meant. "Don't worry about her, we're together now!"

"Awww, huggy! Kissy kiss!" sneered a figure in the corner.

"What?" said Seto, confused.

"Awww, isn't it so cute? Ickle bwuva love!" he sneered in a baby voice.

"Shut up and go away."

The figure gasped sarcastically. "Ooo, don't say naughty words, you'll have a bad influence on the children!"

"Who are you?"

"Your superior, Harold, so shut up and listen to me."

"I thought you didn't like bad words." Seto smiled slightly. Harold frowned.

"One day here and you're already in the ward. I have no time for pests like you, so watch your back, 'cause I'll be chewing on it."

"You're the pest, Harold." said a voice in the distance.


End file.
